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Culture War Roundup for the week of April 24, 2023

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The state of Minnesota has passed a trans refuge bill.

Specifically, the bill would prohibit the enforcement of a court order for removal of a child or enforcement of another state’s law being applied in a pending child protection action in Minnesota when the law of another state allows the child to be removed from the parent or guardian for receiving medically necessary health care or mental health care that respects the gender-identity of the patient.

From my reading of this (not a lawyer, obvs): previously if a child ran away from home, and was found, the child would be returned to the child's parents. Now, however, if a child runs away from home, and claims a "transgender identity" the state will use its powers to keep the child from its parents.

This seems: absolutely pants-shittingly insane to me? Like I'm sortof reeling from disbelief at this and am still trying to figure out what I'm missing. This also seems to imply that if a child runs away to Minnesota, that the child will be kept in Minnesota away from his or her parents.

Can anybody help me understand this? This goes so far beyond anything that I had even considered in the realm of possibility that I'm sure I must be misunderstanding this.

As a related side note: I am reaching a point where reading things on this topic is becoming incredibly difficult. There seems to be so many seemingly double/triple/quadruple entendre words that its hard to follow.

This seems: absolutely pants-shittingly insane to me?

You should not be surprised. This is a very simple logical syllogism that follows from two premises believed by almost all democrat politicians.

  • Children who run away from home because their parents refuse them medically necessary health care should not be returned to their parents because it is unsafe.

  • Gender affirming care for transgender children is medically necessary.

  • Therefore, transgender children who run away from home because their parents refuse them gender affirming care should not be returned to their parents because it is unsafe.

Gender affirming care for transgender children is medically necessary.

Is this really believed by almost all Democratic politicians? I'd thought that medical transition of children as being necessary was still not universally accepted in the left. I've seen my share of left-leaning activists who are rather skeptical of it at all, much less believe it necessary. And Democratic politicians tend to lag behind the SocJus/idpol left in most issues like this.

I think you're underestimating the level of ideological conformity required to become a politician. There are no Jesse Singals in elected legislative office. Carrick Flynn got pwned in the primary. Lest you think I'm picking on Democrats here, look at what happened to Liz Cheney.

I would highlight that the key phrase is "ideological conformity" and not "commitment to the ideology"

If they actually exhibited an ideology beyond conformity they wouldn't change it so readily in response to shifts in the overton window.

Which is to say most of them care about trans issues like megacorps care about pride month.

There are a few outliers like Manchin but I take your point. He sometimes bows to the needs of his party, more often than I thought.

In March 2021, Manchin was the only Democrat to vote for a failed amendment to rescind funding from public schools that allow transgender youth to participate in the sporting teams of their gender identity.[255][256] In November 2022, Manchin reversed his prior position and voted to advance and pass legislation, the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects same-sex marriages under federal law.

There are a few outliers like Manchin

Manchin is in a Trump +40 state, and facing a popular GOP governor in his next senate race.